Glory Days

In the past century, the US Olympic Trials have sealed legends, celebrated underdogs, and made history. Here, the 10 most memorable moments of all time

Go to the Olympics or go home. That simple bottom line is what the U.S. Olympic Trials are all about. The first three finishers qualify for the Games and a shot at a gold medal; everyone else can watch on TV. Over the years, unknown underdogs have risen to the challenge, while supposed shoo-ins have seen four years of hard work vanish in an instant. With so much at stake, the Trials have been a source of endless thrills for even casual fans—starting with these 10 unforgettable athletes and achievements.

1996 ATLANTAMichael Johnson's Titanic Double VictoryFor sprinter Michael Johnson, the 1996 Trials served as a dry run to Olympic glory. They gave him a chance to prove he could overcome a grueling race schedule and a deep field. Best of all, Johnson was racing on the Olympic track itself, built specifically for the '96 Games in Atlanta. First up: four rounds of the 400 meters in five days. Johnson conserved his energy in the heats, running just fast enough to advance. But in the final he showed the first flash of greatness, crushing a strong field by almost half a second with a 43.44, the third-fastest time in history. Two days after his 400 victory, Johnson cruised in the first round of the 200 meters. The next day, just over an hour after advancing in the quarterfinals, he won the semis in 19.70, .02 seconds under the world record set in 1979. The crowd went crazy, until officials announced that the tailwind was over the allowable limit. Johnson was undeterred. The following day, in the last event of the Trials, he stormed the field without help from the wind in 19.66, a new world record. Two months later at the Olympics, Johnson duplicated his double victory, right down to winning the 200 in yet another world record (19.32).

1972 EUGENEPre Runs Away From HomeRacing in front of an adoring home crowd, the University of Oregon's Steve Prefontaine did what he did best in the 5000 meters final: He ran away from the field at the start,daring everyone to keep up. After two miles, the only runner who could hang with the 21-year-old Pre was George Young, a three-time Olympian. But with little more than a mile to go, Prefontaine ran the next two laps at just over a four-minute-per-mile pace, and Young conceded to youth. Pre eased up in the final stretch to celebrate along with his fans—and, incredibly, still ran an American record of 13:22.8, then the fourth-fastest time in history. He went on to finish fourth in the Munich Olympics. Prefontaine was killed in a car accident in 1975, but his Trials victory continues to represent the prowess of youth. His winning time remains a Trials record.

1988 INDIANAPOLISFloJo's MojoThere are world records—and then there are out-of-this-world records. Florence Griffith Joyner accomplished the latter at the 1988 Trials in the 100 meters—in a quarterfinal, no less. Wearing a purple bodysuit with one leg cut away, FloJo flew through the second of four qualifiers in 10.49, more than a quarter second faster than the existing world mark. But her record was immediately tainted by controversy. The wind reading at the start of the race was 0.0 meters per second, but another wind gauge in the stadium posted a 4.3, which indicated that FloJo had benefited from a major tailwind; indeed, the reading at the start of another quarterfinal several minutes later was 5.0. Still, the race results were declared official. FloJo's world record remains intact to this day.

1976 EUGENEWholly Moses!An unknown just the year before, Edwin Moses simply blew away the rest of a strong field in the 400-meter hurdles, including three men who had defeated him at a recent AAU meet. His time of 48.30 established a new American record, foreshadowing the 47.64 world record he would set at the '76 Olympics in Montreal. Moses first learned about hurdling technique from, of all places, a Boy Scouts publication. Combining an engineer's mind-set with a stride length of 9'9", he eventually revolutionized the sport by taking 13 steps, not the traditional 14, between hurdles. The '76 Trials marked the start of Moses's domination, including a 122-race win streak that lasted for nearly a decade.